Taking the Micky!

For the past two seasons, October has been a dark month for Leicester City managers. Not this time, however.

The horror started for Paulo Sousa two years ago when he was sacked on October 1 after just three months and nine league games in charge.

Then Sven-Goran Eriksson suffered the same fate on October 24 last year after City's mixed start to the campaign had not impressed the club's ambitious owners.

However, this October promises to be a fruitful month for City's current incumbent manager Nigel Pearson.

Of course it could have all been different. What an important 45 minutes of football the second half against Burnley was.

Saturday's home victory over Bristol City put City on top of the Championship, even if it was for just a few hours, and gave them their fifth consecutive victory.

While Eriksson's City won five on the bounce in February 2011, which also culminated in a home win over the Robins before a defeat at Cardiff City ended the run, not since April 2003 have City been on top of the Championship tree.

That season, Micky Adams' side had not been out of the top three since the end of August.

But they didn't reach the summit until they went on a five-game winning streak, culminating in a victory over Nottingham Forest on April 8, towards the end of a campaign that ensured their return to the Premier League.

It was a rather unspectacular draw at Rotherham United that eventually saw City go top for two games until defeat at Sheffield United saw Portsmouth regain top spot and claim the Championship title.

Pearson has put City in a great position to replicate that achievement, although it would be in different circumstances.

While Pearson has financial resources to call upon, Adams had to operate under increasing financial difficulties and managed to unite his side despite proposed wage cuts and player sales.

But what he did have was vastly-experienced pros, tuned into the demands of a promotion challenge who refused to be distracted by the off-field problems.

In contrast, Pearson is building a young and vibrant side that has played an exciting attacking brand of football in recent weeks.

Jamie Vardy, Anthony Knockaert, Ben Marshall, Liam Moore, Ritchie De Laet and Matty James will have never experienced the pressure and demands of an expected promotion push before, but they seem to be coping superbly.

There are two very noticeable similarities to the current City crop and Adams' promotion achievers however.

Both squads shared a strong sense of team spirit. Pearson is always keen to stress that, when he and his staff scout a player, they look not just at ability on the pitch, but attitude off it.

As a result, he has players who possess similar personalities and share the same driving ambition.

Several players have commented to the media about the strong bond that is emerging in the City dressing room and they are not just paying lip service to the fans.

Adams also had players committed to the cause once he had dealt with a few fractious elements in pre-season.

Why else would Muzzy Izzet reject a lucrative move to Aston Villa that season? He wanted to stay and help City return to the Premier League, a goal he achieved.

But there is also one more vital common ingredient, a dominant, inspirational captain and No.5. Adams had the ever-reliable Matty Elliott. Pearson has the dominant Wes Morgan.

City fans may not have expected Morgan to be quite such a good player when Pearson recruited him from rivals Nottingham Forest last season but, since handing him the armband, Morgan has been outstanding.

Like Elliott, Morgan leads by example and has been City's most consistent and impressive performer during the opening 10 games.

While the likes of David Nugent, Vardy and Knockaert have written the headlines, Morgan has imperiously guided City through a tough start.

The question is, can Pearson and Morgan keep City on track for the rest of the campaign and emulate Adams' men?

Comments

Now, Now, settle down everyone. As mentioned we are only a quarter of the way through the season. A long way to go yet.
Let's take each game as it comes and enjoy the moment. If we are on top of the heap come March next year, then we can start to get really excited.
I'm sure Pearson has a plan "B" should injuries hit our squad. He has a pretty good bench, and some rising stars in the academy. So I guess Pearson is organised, and has taken Injuries into account.
Meantime let's concentrate on the Brum game and give the lads in the shirt a big lift. So as to go to Brum land, and clean em up for number six on the trot. Good luck to Pearson and the team.

There was a time when I used to think...it's Cardiff next.....or.....Leeds away...and be filled with dread at the prospect, hoping that weren't going to surrender the possibility of 3 points.
Now we are met with the distinct possibility that most if not all clubs in the Championship are going to really dread playing us. And so they should.
A team feared in the Championship is a definite contender. We are definitely a contender. As long as we build on this momentum we are going to be a tough proposition.
Anyone noticed that a gap is already appearing in the table from 6th place to top. A couple of wins on the spin and we are really getting away from the pack.

i am the eternal optimist and though theoretically we still need 29 points to stave off relegation.
i am looking at my betfred betting slip dated 20th july 2012 . i got odds of 15/2 for city to win the championship outright.
at the time i placed the bet more in hope than expectation ,as although i thought wed have a good season ,i was thinking we would get a play off place and hopefully get up that way .
well i know its a long hard season , but i can honestly say i think we are gonna walk this league, cuz this team is one of the most attack minded in our history and are scared of no-one and even when we lose its only by the odd goal and even then we battle till the last kick.
i have never been more confident of picking up some winnings in all my life and the forest and leeds fans i have had match bets with are both looking more depressed each time i see them
up the mighty blue foxes

Unless any of those players can make a significant improvement to the team then we're just providing them with experience - to the detriment of our own young players.
Or, as happened with Sven, you end up losing good Championship players like Hobbs and Fryatt cos they get fed up at their lack of opportunities. (Just so that we could let the likes of Roman Bednar and Curtis Davies get match fit). Where's the benefit to LCFC in that arrangement?
As burton says, loan players should only really be a last resort when you're down to bare bones…

To be honest, I think NP will be very reluctant to go into the loan market. I used to see this as a weakness with him but no so anymore because I can see what he is doing.
Pearson wants continuity, full stop - players who are City players, who want to play for our club. That's why he's farmed out players that don't fit into this mold. So I think we can safely say that he'll use loans as a last resort. He isn't going to want to bring strangers into the dressing room if it has an unsettling effect.
Of course, there is also the option of loan to buy which is probably a better bet. Either way, if we are in the top 6 come Xmas, King Power will no doubt give him funds to strengthen anyway.

If we get injuries then that's the time to exploit the loan market.
It's difficult to ask Premiership players who aren't getting a game to drop down a division just to come and sit next to 'fiesty' Sir N on our bench. They might as well be sitting on their own benches in the Prem!
So, whilst we have a fit back four of Moore, Whitbread, Morgan, Konchesky there's no need to bring in cover. Shlupp and James can play defence should we get an injury to one of those four during a game.
In midfield and attack I feel we have plenty of cover already. Waghorn is really pushing Vardy for his spot, and Neill Danns is a quality player, and may have a part to play this season should we get an injury crisis.
I'd also like to see Wellens fit and back with us. He's been a 100% committed player for us over the past few years, and it would be nice to give him the chance to finally see what he can do when he's surrounded by players ALSO giving 100% - which probably hasn't always been the case in the past.